A complex, confessional examination of [Jean-Claude Brisseau's] twisted, thorny and ultimately ambiguous feelings toward women and sex.
Exterminating Angels (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:43
Fresh:20
Rotten:23
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Explicit and shocking, but there is no substance or statement on human behavior underneath the taboo-breaking.
Theatrical Release:Mar 7, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: François, a filmmaker, is preparing a thriller. During screen tests for a brief nude scene with an actress, he discovers the pleasure some women can have in the transgression of minor erotic... François, a filmmaker, is preparing a thriller. During screen tests for a brief nude scene with an actress, he discovers the pleasure some women can have in the transgression of minor erotic taboos. Driven by the desire to contribute something new to the cinema, he decides to make a film that mixes fiction and reality and centers on something which unexpectedly becomes an enigma and a taboo: the minor transgressions that are a source of pleasure. His research into eroticism raises basic questions. But like Icarus approaching the sun, he only burns his wings. [More]
Starring: Frédéric Van Den Driessche, Maroussia Dubreuil, Lise Bellynck, Marie Allan
Starring: Frédéric Van Den Driessche, Maroussia Dubreuil, Lise Bellynck, Marie Allan, Sophie Bonnet
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Studio: First Take (IFC)
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Reviews for Exterminating Angels
The cinematic equivalent of getting drenched with a splash of ice water.
Endless auditions get the annoying Francois nowhere closer to grasping what turns women on.
It's not smart enough to actually pull off what it purports to do, and it's not free enough to simply enjoy itself.
Critics I admire have assured me that many of Brisseau's earlier films are less silly, more interesting, and even commendable.
Gorgeous French silliness, yes, featuring stunning women having languorous, artful sex with each other. What was I saying? Oh yes, the silliness. Artful, gorgeous, sexy, sure, but ridiculous nonetheless.
It's hard to tell if Brisseau is a raging misogynist or a radical feminist, and what makes the movie interesting is that he's probably a little bit of both.
[Director] Brisseau calculatedly offsets the silliness of the surreal elements and the earnestness applied to the sex by savoring the overall absurdity.
Mr. Brisseau honors the infinitely varying psyches of his female subjects. One may scoff at his voyeuristic self-indulgence, but when you come right down to it, isn’t that what the cinema is all about, one way or another?
A sexually-charged, eyebrow-raising thriller that often straddles that fine line between erotic thriller and all-out pornography.
Has heat but little light; it speaks of pleasure while treating it as a dirty word. The cast huffs and puffs but the exercise, sadly, remains academic.
If the movie was meant to render sympathy to Brisseau, it only reinforces how monstrously repugnant he is. The audacity to suggest his complete innocence makes the whole thing seem like black comedy, only the core sentiment is not funny.
A venture into the world of lust and love scripted with the beauty and discipline of Greek tragedy. As enthralling as it is disturbing. A must see for those who can tolerate the explicit sex.
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|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
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|---|---|
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 |
| 37% 37% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra |
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| 28% 28% | Aliens in the Attic |
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